Area Farm & Ag Headlines

(Washington, DC) -- Tuesday evening, Representative Tim Walz (Minnesota) and Senator Al Franken (Minnesota) were awarded the Golden Triangle Award by the National Farmers Union (NFU) for their strong support for agriculture policy and family farmers across southern Minnesota.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this award from the National Farmers Union,” Representative Walz, Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry, said. “We must continue to push House leadership to appoint a conference committee so an agreement can be reached on a...

(MNSoy.com) -- In 2007 MnSP entered into a Management Services Agreement with Bunge North America, Inc.

In the terms of that agreement Bunge N.A. assisted MnSP in developing its own management and financial team and provided MnSP commercial and risk management services. That agreement was very beneficial to both MnSP and Bunge N.A.

In the last 6 years MnSP has grown and matured beyond what many had thought possible. Much of the credit for this goes to the hard work and dedication of the employees, management and directors of MnSP. Credit is also due to the knowledge and...

WASHINGTON — Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin today pressed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the time for farmers to take advantage of emergency haying.

In a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the senators wrote, “While we are thankful the emergency release of CRP acres was approved, farmers were left with essentially only two days to cut, dry, and bale hay to meet the deadline for the program. That unreasonably short timeframe prevented many farmers from baling any hay under the emergency CRP release. Therefore, these producers did not...

Cattle feed additive Zilmax has been pulled by its New Jersey-based drugmaker Merck Animal Health as of Friday, AUgust 16th. In a statement, they said:

At Merck Animal Health, the health and well-being of animals is our first and foremost priority. We also take very seriously our commitment to providing safe, effective products that are developed based on comprehensive research, rigorous testing and sound science. We believe in the science that supports Zilmax and are confident in its safety and performance. Reinforcing this science and data-based approach, Merck Animal Health has...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two recent legal decisions have found a Stearns County farmer improperly handled and illegally sold food without a license.

Last week a Stearns County jury found Alvin Schlangen guilty of five misdemeanor counts of food handling and storage, including failure to have a food handler’s license, improperly storing eggs at the correct temperature and misbranding food.

The charges stemmed from a Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) investigation that began in 2009 when Schlangen was found to be illegally selling raw milk, meat, poultry and other food...

Projected U.S. wheat supplies for 2013/14 are raised slightly this month as small increases for Soft Red Winter wheat and Durum are mostly offset by decreases for White, Hard Red Spring and Hard Red Winter wheat. U.S. wheat exports for 2013/14 are raised 25 million bushels reflecting continued strong early season sales and an increased outlook for China imports. Despite larger expected crops in several major exporting countries, strong early season demand and higher projected world imports and consumption also boost prospects for U.S. shipments. Ending stocks are projected 25 million...

Starting Aug. 20, The Mosaic Company will begin a 10-day tour across the Corn Belt -- coined The Road to Higher Yields Farm Tour -- and travel by branded bus to visit six farms in six states to spotlight the crop nutrition programs and experiences of the Pursuit of 300 Farmers as they push for higher yields.

Each stop along the Farm Tour will feature a two-part morning and afternoon event. The first part will give members of the media an opportunity to talk with an industry-leading Pursuit Farmer as well as take a detailed look into that Pursuit Farmer's Pursuit Field--showcasing...

(MFBF News Release) -- Chris Radatz, a 37-year employee of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), has been named as the organization’s executive director and will manage and coordinate all activities of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated companies effective August 1.

Radatz has served as MFBF’s director of Public Policy since 1994, where he has represented Farm Bureau members on a day-to-day basis on state and national legislative and regulatory issues.
Radatz joined MFBF in 1976, where he began as the southeast district field representative. He has also...

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed August 4-10, 2013, as “Farmers Market Week” in Minnesota to celebrate the benefits of farmers markets and the agricultural products farmers provide.

The popularity of farmers markets has increased, in part, because of the interest in healthier foods and lifestyles and an increased understanding of the importance of maintaining small, sustainable farms. Local farmers are able to offer consumers a variety of products including heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds of livestock, and other specialty products.